by Kimberly Davidson
When I was a young kid, I believed monsters were everywhere. I feared that as soon as the lights went out at night, an army of them would break through my bedroom door. Any little noise confirmed my imaginary thoughts. I created a strategy like many kids do—when I’d hear those noises, I’d cover my ears and start singing “La-la-la-la” to drown out any noise and hopefully erase the imaginary images from my mind. As adults we may not sing “La-la-la-la,” but we have our own adult versions of avoiding the monsters in our lives. We may hide our heads in the sand, procrastinate or self-medicate. We all put off things we don’t want to do.
This is often the point in the program where the barriers to restoration become the strongest. Patterns established in early childhood and adulthood, often as a strategy for survival, are the most resistant to change. It takes discipline to move past these tendencies and tackle difficult things. It takes maturity to undertake and complete things that may feel uncomfortable. Because our monster has so much power over us, we must stop avoiding it, putting it off, and running from it. Instead, we must put it in proper perspective. Behavior is notoriously challenging to change. The only winner, if you quit at this point, is the enemy.
The first step is to take charge and claim ownership of your life. Other people may have influenced it. Circumstances may have impacted it. But it’s your life. Every action you take in any given moment, in any given hour, is a choice. To reclaim your life is to make different choices. “Do not be terrified by them [the monsters], for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God” (Deuteronomy 7:21).
You can do this through the Power of Jesus! 1 John 4:4 states, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
